Oxfordshire County Council warns against illegal disposable vapes

The council's trading standards team said they had seen "sophisticated concealments" in an attempt to evade detection

A council has warned about the dangers of illegal disposable vapes.

Oxfordshire County Council has issued guidance to help people spot breaches of the law after total seizures across the county reached 10,000.

The enforcement action reflects a national trend, following safety concerns and the government's proposed ban on the devices.

The council said there was also evidence they were being sold by organised crime groups.

Figures from the Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) charity suggest 7.6% of 11 to 17-year-olds now vape "regularly or occasionally", up from 4.1 per cent in 2020.

The council said packaging should use the wording: "This product contains nicotine which is a highly addictive substance"

The council advised people to check packaging for the following "tell-tale signs" that a disposable vape may be illegal:

• A nicotine content above 2% (or 20mg/ml)

• The capacity above 2ml

• A puff count above 1,200

• No UK address for an importer or manufacturer

• A health warning that does not include the exact wording "This product contains nicotine which is a highly addictive substance"

Dr Nathan Ley, cabinet member for public health, inequalities and community safety, said rechargeable vapes were "a proven tool for adult smokers to help with quitting smoking".

But he said they should not be used by children or non-smokers due to nicotine being highly addictive and having long term effects on health.

Jody Kerman, head of the council's trading standards team, said there was "clear evidence that illegal vapes are now being deliberately sold by organised crime groups".

"We have recently seen a very concerning but unfortunately predictable development where reasonably sophisticated concealments, secured by electromagnet, have been used in an attempt to evade detection," she said.

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